Moving from business consulting to coaching entrepreneurs so that they can live fulfilling lives is what Life and Business Coach, Ana McRae loves to help her clients with. She has been Jaime's coach for the last two years and holds space for one-on-one work with her clients, helping them create the businesses of their dreams. Ana is so nerdy about the idea of creating space for happiness that she reads research papers for fun on Friday nights. She doesn't only coach her clients through this, she lives it herself. Touring the national parks in Canada for five months while living in a schoolie was a dream for 3 years, until the summer of 2022 when it became a reality. Now she realizes that she also loves the structure she has created for her life and business at home, so she is ready to enjoy that again! Curious about the coaching industry and why coaching? Listen as Ana and Jaime discuss how investing in coaching might be the investment to consider over business consulting or strategy for entrepreneurs looking for
fulfillment.
Website: https://anamcrae.ca/
Booking link for a free coaching session: https://forms.gle/4oxmM2V6QMKG7pSq6
Follow Ana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamcrae/
Jaime White
00:01
Hello, and welcome to the Believe Crew Podcast; The Business is You. I'm Jamie White,
Founder of Believe Crew and your host, let's jump right in. I am excited today
to share with the world, the coach that has helped me over the last almost two
years. And coming from a place of where I thought I was looking for a health
coach searching on Google. And finding out that wasn't actually what I was
ready to invest in. Ana, tell us about your business and how you got into this.
Ana McRae
00:33
Amazing. Well, first off, I'm really excited to be here, Jaime, I think this is going to
be such a powerful conversation. So I'm just thrilled to be a part of it with
you. And so for those of you that don't know me for your listeners, my name is
Ana McRae, and I'm an entrepreneur coach for high achievers who want to build
grow and scale thriving businesses, while living fulfilling lives. And so I
help my clients operate at peak performance in their life in their business so
they can achieve the levels of success, wealth, impact happiness that they
desire, alongside feeling fulfilled without sacrificing that part of themselves
just to get those monetary goals met.
Jaime White
01:13
That's 100% what I've been leaning into, and it's been you challenging me, right? I
remember being like, well, I want to be able to coach and work with my kids
from home and be barefoot. And and you were like, well, and why can't you? You
know? And it's like, oh, maybe you're right. But my brain was not there. Right?
I was. So that word when you say like, being able to do all the things and be
fulfilled doing it and create that dream, like, like some of those words sound
cliche or so. But you're continually continually preaching that message, and
even helping in the coaching sessions of like, wait, wait, what is it that you
find now working with clients? What are some of the things that come up all the
time?
Ana McRae
01:59
Well, I think there's just such a predefined version of success that we're all taught
and that we've become accustomed to as the norm. And so it takes someone
reflecting back to you a different possibility, or a different version of what
you can have, because it's almost like our brain doesn't naturally go there.
Right? Our brain assumes that in order to make lots of money, you have to work
lots of hours, or in order to make lots of money, you have to do something you
hate, because that's the only thing that pays well. And I think for me, prior
to coaching, I was in consulting, so I've worked with entrepreneurs and
business owners my entire career. And through consulting, where we were really
focused on the strategy side of growing the business, I still saw so many
miserable millionaires, right. And so these people that theoretically have it
all the freedom, the money, they were still unhappy. And so that's what really
led me to coaching is to help people go beyond just the strategy of how to
create what they want, and really see like how they're getting in their own
way, and what they're doing to hold themselves back so that they can overcome
that and create the actual life that they desire without getting wrapped up in
this rat race to wealth, you know, getting to the top and then looking back and
thinking, Yeah, I this is really not what I wanted, like, this isn't for me,
turns out, I'm not any happier when I have all this money, what I really wanted
was freedom. But I've built my business out of alignment with that. And so for
me, I really love to partner with entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey,
whether, you know, I have some clients that are just at the very beginning
trying to land their first clients so that they can escape their corporate
jobs. But I also have clients that have been established entrepreneurs for
decades running seven, eight figure businesses, they're at all different ends
of the spectrum, but what they really want or what they value is a higher level
of success alongside more fulfillment and happiness and not at the expense of
it.
Jaime White
04:02
Of course, I love that. And I'm glad that you continue to hold the banner high
that it is possible. And tell us how you're living that and how you have been
living that.
Ana McRae
04:12
Oh my goodness, what a journey. So when I started my business, what I really wanted
was to be able to do work that I really loved. And to be able to spend more
time with my kids and to be able to travel more often, which I think is like a
pretty common desire, right, especially for someone coming from a corporate
background. It's like we just want control over our schedules, more time with
the family and more time more freedom to travel. And so I built my business
knowing those values front and center and really ingraining them into how I set
up my client work my offers my schedule, etc. And it's just been a phenomenal
journey. So this past year, we took five months we traveled across the country,
my husband and two kids and our Bernese Mountain Dog and got to see like the
Rocky Mountains All of the national and provincial parks that we could get to,
and I ran my business from the road the entire time. So I set it up so that I
was still taking client calls, and able to do like the bare minimum to keep my
business going. While we really spent five months adventuring as a family and
to have gone through that journey we've returned now, but to have experienced
something that didn't even feel fully possible when I set out, right, so when I
was sitting in my corporate job, feeling absolutely miserable, wondering how on
earth I was going to survive the next 60 years of my life like this, and
thinking about a different reality of like, maybe I could make a lot of money
doing something I actually like, maybe I could have the freedom to travel more
often. Like maybe I could actually see my kids during the week and not just get
home at bedtime. To have that full circle moment. And to be able to experience
all of that because of the actions that I took to get there. Like that was just
the most amazing experience.
Jaime White
06:03
And the thing is, I remember when you're setting yourself up for it, you're like, if I
miss any appointments, like I have it figured out that on Thursdays I'm gonna
have internet. If I don't, you know, we'll make that up later. And I don't
think that you missed any. Did any? I think that? Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there
were times where you wondered, but.
Ana McRae
06:24
I'm just such a planner that you guys, you have to know there was a spreadsheet with 72
rows and like 18 columns of where we were gonna be each day like it was not a
spontaneous trip. But I did what I had to do to make it work. And because what
was important to me, was being able to do work I love while traveling, right?
It wasn't that I was heading into it thinking, a God, I have to still do my
client calls. I wish I could be off for five months like that wasn't it at all,
because I had integrated the work that I love and the lifestyle that I love. So
it just took a bit of extra planning or action to figure out how can I
consistently show up for my clients in a different way than I have been when
I'm sitting at my desk for five days a week?
Jaime White
07:07
Yeah. And so how long did that process take from the from the dream and being in
corporate to the actual it's happening? This is real pinch me? Oh, yeah, that was
like four years.
Ana McRae
07:17
And it was it felt like a long, long time in the moment. Because specifically for the
trip, we converted a school bus into like this luxury, tiny house on wheels.
And I'm not the most like tool savvy. So I really thought this would be like a
three to six month process. Three years later, we're still devoting all of our
evenings and weekends to getting this bus the way we want it to be. So that
took a lot longer than I expected. And at the same time I was building my business.
So pretty much those two things went hand in hand, I had that moment where I
was like, I can't keep doing this, I need to do something different. So I need
to build something I can travel in. And I need to build a business that will
support that. And so it took a long time. I think, you know, the messaging
online can sometimes be that my success happened overnight. And sure. Now
looking back, it certainly feels that way. It's like well, I got here so fast,
amazing. Look at me go. But in the moment, it never feels that way.
Jaime White
08:18
I have a 17 year old, almost 18 year old right now. And the joke right now is that he's
working to be that overnight millionaire. And it's three years in the making.
He's just in the beginning stages of seeing his three years worth of work come.
And so that's the lie right there the myth that it's this overnight, but it's
take some time to get there. So now that you have really kind of achieved the
results you were looking for on this one trip. And you came from being working
on this day and night for three years. What is next?
Ana McRae
08:57
That's such a great question. And it's a question that I asked myself a lot like I
always have a big goal that I'm working towards. And for the longest time, it's
been the trip and the business. And now we did the trip and my business is
where I wanted it to be at that point. And so for the first time, I'm sitting
in the discomfort of not having a next of just really appreciating the here and
the now which I was never, ever, ever good at and still struggle with. But what
I learned on the trip was I wasn't necessarily any happier on the trip than I
was at home like sure there was great moments. But there are also great moments
at home. And there were some pretty crappy moments too. And so what that
experience allowed me to realize was that I can really choose to be as happy as
I want, regardless of the circumstances that I'm in and while the goals are
really great for intentionally getting to a place that you want to be at. I
think sometimes they can keep But from realizing we're already there. And so
for me, I'm just soaking it all in and really leaning into kind of celebrating,
enjoying, or just grounding in everything that I've already created and letting
that be enough for a while.
Jaime White
10:16
I love that. And I've heard that from other leaders, where they're saying the things
that they want to learn this next year is how to not be doing as much and just
being and creating space. And, like, when I look at, where I think I want to be
creating space is not one of the things that usually people have on their goal
sheet. You know, just just being okay with where I'm at and saying, Okay,
what's next? And being more open to what comes, in terms of who is it that I'm
called to be? And where am I called to be? Now when you are helping clients
from this place of having been through this? Has it changed your perspective
and and how you're helping clients at all?
Ana McRae
11:08
That's a great question. I think one of the key part of the work I do with my clients,
as I mentioned, was really helping them create a fulfilling life through
entrepreneurship, right. So through business as the way that you're going to
support this thing that you want. But that fulfillment and happiness is really
the goal. And so especially because I work with a lot of like type a driven
high achievers that are like, Oh, go go achieve all the things like smash all
the records, it becomes something that pretty much comes up on a regular basis
on every single one of our coaching calls. Because what I've seen or the
patterns I've noticed is a people have a really hard time celebrating
themselves and seeing all of the momentum they are making, because especially
entrepreneurs that are so focused on the vision and the ideas and the big grand
plan, they can't, like our brains are wired to see how far they've come.
They're really wired to help us like see what to improve, and what needs to be
fixed and what can be better and keep going. And so a big part of our work is
really coming back to the place of seeing all of the stuff that you have
achieved, because from there, if you take the time to celebrate it a this has
been like scientifically proven, I was just nerding out on a big research paper
about this the other day, where one of the ancient operating systems in the
brain is this reinforcement learning. So the brain does something it receives a
reward. And then it's like, okay, cool, that was fun. Let's do that, again,
because I want that reward. So in entrepreneurship, if you're not rewarding
yourself every step of the way, you're just not going to sustain the energy
that you need to get to where you want to go. And I find that that is one of
our biggest challenges. So through the trip, having noticed that, okay, I
achieved all the things but I'm not actually really feeling all that different.
Like, yes, I would 100% still do it all over again, I'm in a much better place
than I was. But in terms of how I feel on a day to day basis, it didn't
necessarily solve all of my problems. And so that reminder that like the goal
isn't the fix. It's it's the thing that enables you to feel fulfilled in the
process of achieving it. Because as humans, we want to grow personally, we want
to grow our businesses, like we just want to grow. It's what that overcoming of
challenges. That's what fulfills us. But you have to recognize that in the
process, rather than thinking, you know, there's going to be something magical
at the end.
Jaime White
13:39
What you said about celebrating, obviously, I've been seen and heard in this place, I
think it took me a year to not show up and say, I don't know what I've been
celebrating, I know you're going to ask and I can't think of it. I mean, it was
terrible, terrible when I look back. And of course, I'd like to beat up on
myself as part of the process too. But I remember even being like, well, I can
tell you what my husband is celebrating, you know, I was stretching for
celebrations and distractions and to think about how we need to rewire our
brains and accept and be okay with sharing those celebrations and accepting
them and being aware of them is huge. I know it changed my life. And now it's
it's a mindset shift that I work on on a regular basis because I feel the
energy in my body shifts when I go from a to a place of like, Wow, that's
amazing. I'm so thankful for that. Were even even being thankful before it's
even happened. Now I'm moving into celebrating before it's even true.
Ana McRae
14:36
You're becoming a pro at celebrating that for sure.
Jaime White
14:39
Tell me about the research paper. Are you studying something?
Ana McRae
14:43
Oh no, I just like to Google research papers for fun. This is like, this is my idea of a
fun Friday night. And so I've really been digging into like the neuroscience of
happiness and fulfillment like what drives people to make decisions and what
creates success and all of that and so that one was particularly in wrestling
because it reaffirms something I knew all along. Like I knew through my own
journey that if I'm constantly beating myself up feeling like I didn't get
enough, done, it's not happening fast enough, like, I don't know what I'm
doing, I'm not achieving enough as fast as I want to be, that's really not
motivating me to go then take the inspired creative action that I need to take
to achieve the outcome I want. But if I pause, so now I have a regular practice
of celebrating every day, but also specifically celebrating at the end of the
week, looking back over my entire week, and looking at everything that went
well, every action I took, that got me closer to where I want to go. And every
result that came in, that I'm really thrilled about, that gives me the energy
and motivation to then go do the hard, uncomfortable, scary things outside of
my comfort zone to take my business even further. But like you said, it's
really hard in the beginning, because we're not trained to think that way. Or
our brains aren't programmed to look at things that way. And so it's like
building that muscle of being able to recognize your own progress and
accomplishments,
Jaime White
16:06
What you're speaking to, I think, Dan Sullivan wrote a book, I think it's called the
Gap and the Gain. And I've skimmed it, let's say at best, I'm not sure if I've
actually read it. But I think the concept is oftentimes our brains are looking
at the gap between where we are and where we want to go, and just kind of
beating up on ourselves versus becoming aware of the gain. How far have we
come. And I know even for myself, every once in a while looking back over the
last year and being like, a year ago, you were working with me, and I couldn't
find a spot to have a consistent Zoom meeting with you where the internet was
working. And I wouldn't lose, you know, because I my phone might have been not
have been charged all the way and I didn't have a microphone and I didn't have
a headset. And it was like a dream to be like I could actually be in the same
room and be ready for a meeting and prepare, you know, the gain here like remember
when it wasn't that long ago, right? And so if I'm constantly looking at where
is it that I'm not where I wanted to be, instead of recognizing how far have I
come and celebrating? I do think that there's a huge shift. So you're using the
word neuroscience with regards to this. What are you finding in terms of the
study about our brain and some of the stuff that's shifting? Is this new
information that hasn't been out there? Is that really what's happening?
Ana McRae
17:30
Yeah, great question. So I want to preface this by saying I'm not a neuroscientist.
So like, take all this with a grain of salt. But I think the common way of
thinking especially about business, or kind of the old school approach has
really been to look at strategy and to say like, here's the secret to success,
here's the path that you need to take to get there, like, here are the things
you need to do to get what you want. And while action is definitely going to
create the results, really the only thing that creates the result, there's so
much underneath what sparks the action. And so there's this whole developing
field of how our thoughts and our feelings actually can not control but
influence the kind of action that we take and how much action we take and how
consistently we take it. And it's been really interesting when when digging
into specifically the neuroscience side of things, how our brain is actually
programmed, right. So like, we know that change is hard, like we've all
experienced trying to start a new diet or build a new habit or do something
different in business like changes is challenging. But when you look at why
that is on like a neuroscience level, it is just validating or empowering to
see that like there's nothing wrong with you. Because this is feeling hard. It's
actually because your brain is wired to maintain the status quo. And so as an
entrepreneur, if you're constantly trying to go against the status quo, to
create change, to grow your business to disrupt the industry to shift your
clients lives, it's going to feel hard a lot of the time, but that doesn't mean
that it's wrong. And so I think digging into neuroscience has really allowed me
to see like, what is the science behind the way that my clients are acting or
the way the things that they're struggling with? And how do we use that science
to really show them the power of some of the things we're talking about. Right?
So like a big part of the work I do with my clients is mindset work because I
know that if you secretly believe no one's gonna buy your services, you're not
going to sell your services if you secretly believe you can't make a lot of
money doing work you love. You're not gonna make a lot of money doing what you
love. And to some of my clients like depending where they are on the woowoo
spectrum like that just sounds ridiculous that we would ever talk about our
thoughts and our feelings like let's make a strategy, but being able to bring
their logical brain some facts about the way that our brains work so that they
can get behind some of that mindset work has really been a game changer.
Jaime White
20:07
So what I'm hearing from you, and just thinking about some of the other podcasts that
I've done and listening to some of them, it's almost like there's this shift in
the business books that have been written, and really the new strategy behind
business, and are there even enough books or articles out there? Or is this
new? And what is the future then of business strategy in your mind?
Jaime White
20:32
Hmm, great question. I think we get to a place where we realize that the strategy is
only 20%. And so what becomes built into the strategy is this other 80% of our
mindset and our energy. And that's really where I see the game change for
entrepreneurs is, you know, people come to me and they say, I want to double my
business this year. How do we going to do that? What's the strategy? Well, we
can build the strategy, like it's actually not rocket science to grow your
business. But are you going to execute the strategy? And what that really comes
down to? Is your head in the right place consistently, so that you can take the
action? And is your energy in the right place? Like are you literally taking
care of yourself and your body so that you have the motivation and creativity
and energy to take the action? That's not talked about? So much in business, I
think the narrative is shifting, because we're hearing a lot more like work
life balance, or work life integration, and like, self care. And like, I think
that's the beginning of the movement. But I really envision a world where
entrepreneurs put themselves first. And because of that their business grows,
where I see my clients create the most success is when they are so tuned into
what they need and what they want. And they put that first and it creates the
energy and motivation and action and consistency, to then do what the business
needs and what the business wants. But when we have that backwards, and we've
got that tunnel vision of just do whatever it takes to hit the goal, it doesn't
matter how much you work or how you do it. Sure you hit the goal, but then you
end up unhappy and the goal really isn't worth it to begin with. So I think the
conversation is really starting to shift to zoom out a bit from the goal and
look at well, what's kind of the point of all of this? And how do we really
round out our approach to business.
Jaime White
22:31
It's a huge thing. I mean, I've shared with people use something simple, like I can
help you build an ice creams stand, or, you know, coffee shop or whatever. What
are you called the call to do a coffee shop like is that what's actually going
to fulfill you and when we think about all the different businesses that people
can do to create money or to create impact in the world. If it's not something
that is exciting to you, I mean, even just think about the marketing strategy.
You know, there's some people that are doing marketing online, there's some
people that are doing and they're saying, do it this way, this is what works
and buy this course. And here's what works. And again, the people that I'm
talking to that have actually done it, they're saying what worked was doing
what works for me, not what worked for somebody else. And I remember 20 years
ago, you know, being in the basement of the library with a new business. It was
a furniture store. And I'm realizing today that the vision was confused.
Because one of my parents saw this vision of a store that was, you know, in an
old storage warehouse and full of mattresses and like low overhead and we could
be cheap and we could be the cheap guy and be like selling mattresses. But then
the other parent had the vision that it was a design showroom. I mean,
literally, we are talking about two opposite extremes. So I'm in the basement
of the library at 18/19/20 years old with my kids in the you know, children's
department, trying to learn marketing for business, not realizing that I have a
complete disaster, a hot mess of a business because I have two separate visions
I'm trying to align. And neither one of them were mine. You mean like, Oh, my
word. Hello, where's mindset and, you know, been amazing to get access to some
of the coaching opportunities that are available today. I mean, just a huge
shift in thinking but back then you could put an ad in the newspaper. I mean, I
am totally dating myself. I'm only 41 years old. But I feel like if I, you
know, know about putting ads in the newspaper, I definitely am dating myself
and it worked, just FYI. But that's where I feel like there's this huge shift
because there's so much information. There's so many new things out there. But
if you don't do the business that works for you, then how is this even? It's
not sustainable. Right? It's like, well, we better start planning your exit
plan because chances are this is not where you're meant to be for very long
speaking to the things that you're saying about the new version of business
strategy. I also see with that coaching as a part of it, because to read a book
about mindset and to recognize my gaps, I mean, there's so many times I jumped
on a call with you. And I was like, I almost canceled and you were like, good,
because those are usually the breakthrough calls, you're starting to recognize,
what are the things that I'm up against? And when do I need to push through
that with somebody that can hear what I'm what I don't even know. I'm saying?
What is it that you've experienced in coaching? And what do you see for the
future of leaders? Amazing question.
Ana McRae
25:36
I think it makes the biggest difference. And obviously, I'm a little bit biased. But the
reason that I got into coaching is because of this very thing, right? We're in
this digital age where there is no shortage of information, like if you want to
figure anything out anything at all, you can Google it, and there will be 20
answers for you 20,000 answers for you. So the problem isn't that we don't know
what to do, it's that we're not doing it, or we're not doing it in a way that
works for us, or we're not doing it consistently. And so that's where one on
one coaching becomes so powerful, is because you really get to build a long
term relationship with your clients. And so let's take us, for example, I have
seen you running your business behind the scenes for so long, that I now fully
understand what your challenge points are, or what the sticking points are, or
what makes you uncomfortable, or where you tend to go too fast or go too slow.
Like we've built an entire relationship that's focused around you and how to
get you to the next level. And that's where the magic happens. Because your
business success depends on you. And so if you're not operating at your highest
level, if you're not working through the mindset, managing your energy, doing
that inner work to execute on the strategy, how is your business ever going to
get to the point that you want it to be at, and that work can't happen in a
done for you course, or a freebie that you download off the internet or even a
group program. And I've had this experience myself, I've invested a lot of
money into coaching into programs into courses into all the things because I'm
like a huge nerd. I mean, I read research papers on Friday night. So I love to
spend money on learning. But where I saw the biggest transformation was when
somebody really knew me, and knew the things about myself that I wasn't even
admitting to myself and could help me through that. And that's what unlocks the
potential that's when something clicks and you're like, oh, okay, this scary
thing outside of my comfort zone, done, because I've worked through the stuff
on the inside that kept me from doing it.
Jaime White
27:54
Do you ever wonder or think in all this nerdy research? I guess, what would be your
perspective? Is there a need for more coaches? are there so many coaches out
there? Is it just beginning are we What's the trend that you see happening in
terms of the coaching industry?
Ana McRae
28:15
I think there, it's definitely growing, there are more and more coaches available for
people that want that support. And I think recognition of what coaching can do
for you is also growing. But I also see a lot less real coaching happening than
what you would think is out there. So I think there is still a great need for
very good coaches that can coach, a lot of what I see online, is really great
marketers that can market, but can't deliver on the service itself, or people
that can tell you what they did and cross their fingers and hope that it works
for you too. But not people that have the experience to actually coach you
through your problems. And so I think that becomes a bit of a challenge for
people that are looking for that support, and maybe investing in that support,
but not having a great experience and then not trusting themselves to try
something else and to invest in a different coach. And so then, you know,
what's that saying? I'm awful with sayings, but it's like get burned once or
twice or something.
Jaime White
29:34
I can think of it from a construction perspective measure twice and cut once. Maybe
it's a similar concept. I don't know. Yeah.
Ana McRae
29:42
But basically it keeps people from getting the support that they want because they
feel or they thought they experienced it but they never got the real deal. And
so I think there's a big difference between marketing coaching and actually
coaching and that's really the thing to watch out for.
Jaime White
30:00
That's huge. And it's it's a detriment to both sides, right? Because then potentially
clients won't get the help or reach out for help believing that maybe their
experience will be similar to last time. And for coaches that are out there,
you know, it's kind of like, okay, I'm gonna say this. It's kind of like a good
cleaning lady. Like, oftentimes, they're not the ones with the big marketing
campaign, because they have so many people referring them, and it's like, Well,
do you know a good cleaning lady? And? Well, yes, but she's booked. The good
coaches, you know, it's sort of like, ah, yeah, I do, but I'm not sure if she's
taking on clients, there might be a waiting list, you know, versus the idea
that while we've got this marketing strategy, and we can just keep, I mean,
it's where people, and it's a mindset, and it's gonna take some time and all
the things.
Ana McRae
30:47
Yeah, absolutely. And I and so I think there are definitely a lot of great coaches
out there, too. But I think, if you're in the process of looking for a coach,
really understanding what kind of support it is that you want, and digging deep
to see if that's the kind of support that that coach can provide, rather than,
you know, reading one sales page and hoping that it solves all of your
problems, I think you really have to do your research and meet with a few
different people and see who's a good fit, because that makes such a big
difference, and then commit to that relationship, and not expect an overnight
success, right. And I think that coaching dramatically accelerates the speed
with which you accomplish your goals. But, you know, just like there's no
overnight diet, that's gonna help you lose all the weight, there is no
overnight coaching, secret that's going to suddenly fix all of your problems,
it really is a process. And I think in the day, and age of instant
gratification, like that's something we forget, we just want it all faster. But
it's an incredible process that truly transforms your life and your business.
Jaime White
31:57
When I think about the investment levels that we've made, and the shift that's been
made in our lives, I don't regret doing any of it, you know, and being able to
see, from a different perspective, it's like, in a way, I think of sports, you
know, where you have someone that may be working towards a huge goal, let's
just say the Olympics, for instance. And it doesn't happen overnight. And it's
not all on the coach, you know, if the person themselves isn't putting in that
work, then obviously and so similar, right, in the same lane, in business, or
in our lives. So the other thing that I just want to point out is that you're
in Canada, and it's now making it so that virtually you can coach from anywhere
in the world to anywhere in the world. I mean, it's opened up, it's the
boundaries have just kind of expanded from what people maybe could have done
even a couple of years ago.
Ana McRae
32:50
Yeah, absolutely. And I think especially post COVID, where everyone's just a lot more
comfortable with the online space, like even my local clients still take
clients still take calls over the phone, or over zoom, because it's just more
convenient for everybody, right. And so I think coaching is an amazing
industry, because there's such a low barrier to entry. So if you love coaching,
if you're passionate about it, if you want to pursue it as a career, there's
not a lot standing in your way except probably yourself. But
Jaime White
33:20
That's a huge thing. Let's just say. Like, it's one of those frustrating things that you
can't just pay to solve, like, you can't just throw money at the problem and
hope it goes away.
Ana McRae
33:32
Yeah, exactly. But it is it is good to know that, you know, there's not a lot that
you need in terms of starting up a coaching business. It's not like starting a
brick and mortar business where you're taking out loans and building all this
infrastructure, etc. But kind of like we talked about earlier with that low
barrier to entry means that anybody can become a coach. And that kind of
reflects on the experience.
Jaime White
33:57
Is there anything else that comes to mind that you would love to share with listeners
about coaching about the work that you do about fulfillment? Anything that
comes to mind?
Ana McRae
34:08
I think what's most important for me in any interaction that I have with people is to
really find out like, are you happy with where you are? Are you intentionally
creating a life and a business that you love? Or are you kind of just coasting
on autopilot, throwing spaghetti at the wall, trying to see what sticks like,
expecting that a year, two years when you hit, you know, six figures, seven
figures, etc, all of your problems will be solved. And I think it's just such a
good reminder to know that your problems don't go away. They just change and so
at whatever goal, you're still going to have them they're just going to be
different and you're upgrading them if we want to use that terminology, but
they still exist and so if there is no I don't want to say there's no light at
the end of the tunnel. But it's really about being in the tunnel. If the tunnel
is the entire journey, then how do you get to a place where you're really
loving the day to day running of your business, because that's where everything
changes. And that's where the success comes naturally, that's where you get to
a bullet point where you're like, Yeah, this was easy. Like, I don't really
feel like I had any challenges because I aligned my business with what I truly
wanted. And not to say that there won't be challenges, but it'll feel easier to
overcome them because they're aligned with what you really want. When you're
trying to build something that you think you should have or hit a goal that
just somebody else is hitting and doing things, because they're expected of you
or because you're, for whatever reason, expecting them of yourself. Running a
business out of alignment with your values, with your vision with what you
truly want is really, really hard. And it makes it hard to get it to the level
of success that you want. And even if you happen to make it there, you're just
not going to be happy, like it's not going to solve what you want it to solve.
And so I really, really encourage people to do that reflection, especially at
this time of year, I think it's a great time when everyone starts setting
goals. But rather than setting goals, just sit and reflect on like, what's
working, what's not working, what do you really wish was different? And if
anything was possible. And if you were 100% certain that you would succeed,
what would you be doing different? And I think there lies the answer to where
you need to focus.
Jaime White
36:37
I love that I know, You've asked me the question, but what if it all works out?
Totally shifts the thinking from doesn't feel like it's working out? And it's
like, well, but what if it does? Well, all of a sudden, my brain goes into
different different places, you know, I would, I would focus on different
things I would be making this phone call, I would be doing this differently.
And what you said about you feeling stuck, one of the other things that we've
been thinking about is what have you been tolerating, because even thinking
about in my life, there might not be a lot of outward changes that are super obvious
to somebody else. But the things that I tolerate my list is a lot a lot
smaller, I used to be pretty strong, pretty strong in terms of how many things
I could tolerate. Not the best list of strengths to promote to others. But I
had you know, really not so good boundaries, and I can handle a lot of toxic
energy. And for some reason I was enjoying it because I was making the best of
it, like you said, being in the tunnel and, and making the best of it versus
recognizing that it actually could be completely different.
Ana McRae
37:49
Yeah, and I think we're so busy running around trying to do all the things that we
don't create the space to reflect on that. And so then one years, three years,
10 years passes, and you're kind of in the same boat that you were in. Just
because you're it's like that little hamster running in his little hamster
wheel, right? He like doesn't stop to get out and like chew on the grass or
whatever a hamster would do if it got out of the hamster wheel, right? And so
really looking at like, where are you creating your own hamster wheel and
really putting this pressure or this rush on things? And what do you actually
want? So if you were to achieve your goals, like what is it that you actually
want from that? Right? For example, if I make a million dollars, I'm gonna have
the freedom to travel with my family. Okay, great. Let's just like cut to the
chase and build in the freedom to travel with your family, right now, while
you're working towards that million dollars. Because the two aren't mutually
exclusive. Like you get to have them both. And it's really hard to build
something one way and then experience it a different way, right to build your
business working 60 hour weeks and not doing anything fun. Hit the million
dollar mark and then say, Okay, now I'm ready to have all the freedom and enjoy
time with my family. Like you're just it's it's not easy to do that, and most
people don't. And so really intentionally building your business, building your
life, in alignment with what you want, in the end, building that in now. Like
that's where everything changes.
Jaime White
39:20
I 100% agree. And it's what I've seen over the years, there's been plenty of
millionaires that haven't changed their lifestyle. After they hit that number.
It is not a numbers game. It's a mindset game. And if we don't shift our
mindset before the number hits, it doesn't happen after either. I asked someone
recently because he wanted to get into real estate investing. And you know that
that was my background and the things that I've worked through from a mindset
shift in that as well. And I asked him, you know what the reason was, and he's
like, Well, I've seen how money can control you and I want to have the freedom
and I said, well the funny thing is what I've noticed about real estate
investors is that if you don't change the mindset, then it doesn't even matter.
Once you're in a place to be, quote unquote, financially free, you're still
looking for that next deal, you're still looking for that next opportunity, or
you're saving for the next investment. And so you're still not spending it,
you're still. And if that's what you enjoy, I mean, I, I just didn't enjoy when
we got the calls about the leaky faucets, because my husband and I, neither one
of us is really good about fixing those leaky faucets. So if someone else
enjoys that, then that's great. I'm not meant to be running real estate
investments in that beginner level stage of dealing with tenants, just
realizing that it's meant for somebody, somebody is meant to be doing that. And
today, it's not me. And then what are the things that I am called to be doing?
And I need to step into those things. And you, I really appreciate that you
have been there with me on the journey and continue to hold my feet to the fire
in terms of believing and holding the vision high that it is possible for me to
live a life that's in fulfillment for me, because if I have to live a life,
where I'm dealing with leaky faucets and tenant calls, compared to, you know,
how do I deal with the tech issues for getting on a podcast, I will deal with
the tech issues for getting on a podcast, right? Like I'm choosing my issues
now. Because I'm choosing the life that's in alignment for me, and I love it.
I'm super thankful to you for that.
Ana McRae
41:28
Amazing.
Jaime White
41:30
Well, thank you so much for coming on with me today. Anything else that you'd like to share?
Ana McRae
41:36
No, this has been fantastic. I think, you know, kudos to you for sharing what that
transformation has looked like. And that, you know, we have been working
together for a long time. And that's what deepens the relationship. And what
gets you more value is really having someone that knows you and can help you.
And so, for all the listeners out there, like, take a second after this podcast
is over before you jump to the next thing and think about that in your own life
in your own business. Like who's playing that role for you. It could be a coach
could be a mentor. It could be a partner, it could be a friend, but someone has
to be consistently because it's really hard to do it for yourself. It's really
hard to unravel your own mindset issues. It's really hard to hold yourself
accountable. And so that's where we really can lean into community and lean
into getting the support that we deserve to create what we want. And then not
only does it happen faster, but it's also more fun in the process.
Jaime White
42:37
Very true. Thank you so much, Anna.
Ana McRae
42:41
Amazing. Thank you for having me, Jaime